We appreciate Gov. Corbett's decision and we hope that we will be able to work together to continue to build bridges of understanding.

By Ted Martin

When I was a young boy growing up in southwestern Pennsylvania, I can honestly say that I never thought that I would see this day. I was a good boy who did his homework, the perfect altar boy who couldn't throw or catch a ball to save his life, and the boy who dreamed of escape. But I hung in there, grew up to be an advocate, and hoped for the best. And today, I am finally recognized as a married man in my own home state. It's a good day when love wins.

It's difficult to put into words how meaningful this is for so many people in Pennsylvania today. There are over 270,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the commonwealth. One sixth of those folks are couples raising children. We are all very grateful to Judge Jones for recognizing that our families and our loved ones matter to us just as much as anyone's family—and that we deserve the same basic dignity, respect, and protection as any other family.

As the executive director of a statewide equality organization, Equality PA, we heard a lot from our supporters yesterday on what this decision means to them. Here are a few of their stories:

"My wife and I have been together for 13 years through multiple deployments in her military career before she retired. And during that time, I had to pretend not to exist under Don't Ask Don't Tell. Since that policy ended, the day that I could go on base and get my spouse ID card was such an important and significant day in our lives," said Janet Rich of Mechanicsburg.

"But because Pennsylvania didn't recognize our marriage," Rich continued, "I could not be listed on my own mortgage that we got through the VA. Now, to have our marriage recognized in our home state is a wonderful reason to celebrate."

Thomas Waters of Pittsburgh told us, "We have been together for 17 years and we own a home together and if anything happened to either one of us, it means the world to know that we would be able to protect our family. You can't put a price tag on that. We hope we can get a Pennsylvania license in time for our ceremony this weekend."

"The protections that come with marriage are not only important to us, but equally so for our daughter and extended family. This state recognition is invaluable," said Chris Gatesman of Mechanicsburg.

We would also like to sincerely thank Gov. Corbett for allowing this judgment to stand. We understand that what matters is not that we share the exact same beliefs with everyone in the commonwealth, but that we respect each other's differences and treat everyone equally. That is why we appreciate Gov. Corbett's decision and we hope that we will be able to work together to continue to build bridges of understanding.

While we celebrate today, we also know that there is plenty of work to do be sure that all people are treated equally in Pennsylvania. The fact remains that even if we can get married tomorrow, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people can legally be fired from their jobs, turned away from a business, or evicted from their homes just because of who they are.

That's why, when the legislature starts up again in June, we will be there to ask them to pass SB/HB 300, Pennsylvania's non-discrimination bill that updates the current law to include lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. It's a long road to full equality, but we have confidence that love will win in the end.